Astronomers are really, really cautious people. Apparently they have been keeping the discovery of a 10th planet a secret for years until a hacker infiltrated their research and leaked the news.

“As previously reported, CalTech astronomers announced the discovery of a 10th planet this week. The planet is yet to be named and even its exact size is still unknown. It’s all very exciting but it was strange that the announcement seemed a touch hasty, especially since the planet was detected back in January (from pictures taken in 2003, no less). It’s normal for astronomers to wait to announce a discovery until the full details have been locked down. So, why the hasty announcement this time? Well, it could be that a hacker had infiltrated the astronomers’ secured site and threatened to leak the discovery.” (via Techdirt)

More on the Planet and the Hack Here